MN Peloton's Road Racing Spring Classics 2015 - trois, deux, un..

[derailleurdePan]

We've had training camps in Catalunya and the Canaries, eaten desert dust and limbered up in Strada Bianche yesterday. Some keen team riders have even been on turbos and rollers....or watched other people do that...which is the same thing really...so we are good to go!

If anyone is new to road racing, the spring classics are generally one-day events (but 150-200 kms long!), usually in Northern France or Belgium and are the hors d'oeuvres to the Grand Tours of Italy, France and Spain. Some though, like today's start on the Paris-Nice are multi-stage of a week or so in length.

The remaining UCI-advertised classics up the Giro d'Italia are here..

08.03 15.03 Paris – Nice France
11.03 17.03 Tirreno – Adriatico Italy
22.03 22.03 Milan – San Remo Italy
23.03 29.03 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Spain
27.03 27.03 E3 Harelbeke Belgium
29.03 29.03 Ghent – Wevelgem Belgium
05.04 05.04 Tour of Flanders Belgium
06.04 11.04 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Spain
12.04 12.04 Paris – Roubaix France
19.04 19.04 Amstel Gold Race Netherlands
22.04 22.04 La Flèche Wallonne Belgium
26.04 26.04 Liège – Bastogne – Liège Belgium
28.04 03.05 Tour de Romandie Switzerland

So shall we roll out of the neutralised zone, and start sweating??
_

Thanks everyone. I'm not the most confident or co-ordinated person so I felt rubbish about it afterwards and made DP take me home I clip in with my right, push off then when I try and get my left foot in the right place to clip that one in, it just slides around and I can't work out how to get it in. Then I panic and fall off. DP has the same pedals and he can ride with just one foot clipped in and his other doesn't slip around like mine does, so I don't know what's going on. He has offered to put the normal pedals back on but I might try practicing on the turbo a bit first before trying outside again. Although at the moment I don't want to touch the bloody bike again!!

Sorry forgot to say that the old Look pedals I had on before, I could slide my foot in to position like ShutUpLegs said, and push down when my foot got to the bottom but the Speedplays are really tiny circular things and I can't really feel where they are under my shoe. If that makes sense!! The Look pedals are far too stiff though which is why I got new ones.

Been to Evans at the Velodrome. The sort of place you could empty your bank account totally. New shiny pedals in box on my desk...Shimano have even assumed we are all as the two short planks and labelled the pedals R and L. Useful acutally...

Is it poss to put the Looks on and lessen the tension on them - aren't all pedals adjustable?

Ooh Pan how exciting! Bet you can't wait to use them.

They are loosened as much as possible. I'll practice with the Speedplays on the turbo and see how I get on. I don't think I have the nerve to venture outside on them again

I feel I'm about twelve again."don't wanna do this grown up job - jus' wanna ride my ."

Ooh ... Speedplays... that's a whole nother ball game. I have Look pedals and SPD SLs. I am not sure I could crack SPeedplays. Odd that you couldn't get Look slack enough for comfort - I could pull straight up out of mine when I started. I quickly tightened them so that now I have to do the outward flick with the heel to come out of them.

Good luck on the turbo with them. Let us know how you get on.

Just another thought on SPeedplays - I think the shoe itself is quite important with Speedplays. Because the cleat almost can sit inside the sole, iyswim?

Counter-intuitively, I clip in my left foot first because I am less dexterous on the left. I find it easier to align my right foot whilst riding. Properly you are supposed to do it the other way round. Can you try that?

I'll shut up now....

Apparently clipping in left first is 'continental' according to my DP He clips in left first too. My right leg definitely is easier to control so that might be an option. It was suggested yesterday whilst we were out but I'd had a strop by then so it was too late. I have these shoes (but last years version) if that makes a difference. I think the Look pedals have had miles and miles of use so are probably a bit knackered to be honest. I feel bad because the Speedplays were an expensive unwanted gift from DP so I don't want to sack them off entirely.

I usually use the MN app but logged on to the mobile site to post that link and noticed there is a bike emoticon?!?!!!!! How did I not know this?

Will be catching up on recordings tonight hopefully so I'll finally be up to speed with whats going on.

Thanks for the help both of you, by the way. I am rubbish with sporty things so it's nice to have some help

Of course left clipping would be continental

Your shoes look lovely and I would say they are a good pair because the cleat won't be embedded in the sole.

Try left clipping on the turbo and when your DH isn't around to make "helpful" suggestions.

Yes we haz s

I haven't a clue about pedals, but hope you get to grips with them soon, Felix and that you aren't too sore from your fall.

Looking forward to catching up with the Tour of Catalunya this evening, but there weren't any pictures due to the weather conditions .

Hopefully better weather tomorrow for the climbs

£200 for a pair of cycling shoes! Fig me.
Good job I never asked what DH paid for his TT shoes.
Feeling like a dinosaur just because I still use SPDs.

Felix - I'd work on the basis that there's nothing wrong with you, and there is nothing 'wrong' with the pedals - it just means taking a fair amount of time finding the right tension and fit that works, and knowing it will arrive soon. And yes the 3 X rule is universal. I had the grazes and bruises to show.
fwiw I clip in on the right and only disembark on the left.

Thanks all, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it! DP is hogging the turbo as he's training for his first race this weekend but hopefully I can start using it again afterwards and practice

Really exciting day of racing today at the Tour de Catalunya & lots more climbing to come tomorrow.

And a massive win for the G! Just seen the last 10k and the whole thing played into his hands.
Bad news for Fabien though - broken vertebrae on a tumble - am sure Lost will be bedside to 'comfort' him though.
No idea where they are up to in N Spain.

and in other new..finally got the SPDs onto hybrid. 3-4 yrs and 1000s of miles later the old ones were locked in place. (didn't know that the action of pedaling tightens the retaining nut.) Got one off, but the other one was a nightmare. Borrowed an adjustable spanner off matey..which slipped..and palm of hand went slamming into the teeth of chain ring with as much force as was mustering...OOOOWWWWW!! lots of blood, loud swearing, and a three teeth imprint remaining on hand. Matey laughed his bollocks off, as is his job...had to go to local bike shop this morning on one flat and one clip pedal - really odd- and ask them to ease the refusnik pedal with a long handled spanner. Showed them the injured hand. They laughed their bollocks off as well...but v politely.
#sufferingforyour

Pan we (well actually, DP) had the same issue getting the Look pedals off my bike. He ended up snapping an expensive torque wrench trying to remove the left one! I didn't realise they tightened with pedalling either. It's quite an odd design really. Hope your hand is ok, sounds painful!!

Thanks Felix..the hand is still in place. And did feel like I was 12 yo again.."mister, can you fix my bike?"
With so much blood, it was either bathe hand in a Savlon mix..or just wipe blood off with an old t-shirt and get on with it. What would Geraint Thomas do? T-shirt in wash.

Pan

Pan your hand sounds sore

Brilliant win for G, wasn't it? Tactically a great race for him, and the various tumbles helped out as well. He looked proper chuffed when he crossed the line

Will watch Tour de Catalunya later.

Saw the last bit of G winning the other day, they weren't about to catch him once he disappeared up the road.

Now staying with family for a week with no time or channels to watch.